Knight of Darkness
by slahtida
Summary: Elena can't shake the feeling of being watched. Everywhere she goes, everything she does is being seen by unseen eyes. Beautiful blue; menacing eyes.
1. Chapter 1

**Knight of Darkness**

Chapter One

She felt like she was floating; An endless sea of nothingness enveloping her. She found herself wandering around a desolate courtyard. It was dark outside, cold, and harsh. Her bare feet effortlessly gliding across the stone ground, as if in a dream of some sort. Yet this felt so real.

She ran her hands along the ivy covered stone walls of what looked like some kind of fortress, a castle. Humming softly to herself she skips to a wooden door at the far end of the courtyard. She felt a sudden surge of life, of innocence as she pranced about, not a care in the world.

The door opened gracefully, not even a prolonged squeak escaped from the rusted hinges. On second thought, she couldn't hear anything. She panics a bit, snapping her fingers to her ears. Nothing. She shrugs her shoulders and continues on frolicking, this time down a dim corridor.

Brass candelabras hang from the stone walls, bringing a romantic, yet frightful light to the narrow walkways. The marble under her feet is extremely smooth. Something she wasn't expecting from such an old and decrepit castle.

She continues to make her way down the hallway. It never seems to end. she thinks to herself as she begins to pick up her pace.

She was looking for something. Or someone, rather. Yet she didn't know who exactly. The hallway soon opens up into a great recreational room of sorts. A monstrous fire roared in the intricately carved marble of the hearth.

Looking around the room she began to notice that the windows were all draped in heavy red velvet. Gold tassels tying them in place. Unwilling to let any light stream through the large windows. Beautiful antique furniture was scattered here and there in front of the fire. This place almost felt like home. Except for the fact that she had never been there before this night.

She takes a seat on one of the dark velvet sofas, allowing her nimble body to be sucked into the plush cushions. She breathes deeply, closing her eyes. She felt so calm. So...

Her eyes snap open when she feels a presence behind her. She sits bolt upright, unwilling to make any sudden movements. A breath on her neck startles her, yet she doesn't dare move an inch. A set of lips, caress her pale flesh, placing a tender kiss under her ear.

She begins to relax again. The lips feel familiar, the kiss welcoming. She smiles softly to herself.

A hand reaches from behind her, waiting for her to take hold. Her small hand fit into his. She was startled at how cool his hands were against hers. This stranger, whoever he was, didn't feel like a stranger to her at all.

She longed to see who this mystery man was. Yet as hard as she tried, he never turned around to reveal himself to her. He leads her down another dark hallway, this one, almost completely void of any light. She tries hard not to stumble and is puzzled by the fact that her masked man has no trouble leading her to their destination.

She couldn't help but feel thrilled. Thrilled that she had no idea who this man was. This man was dark, mysterious, yet she felt that there was more to him. He was dangerous. And that made her want him all the more. "Where are we going?" she tries to say, yet no words come out of her mouth, yet somehow he knows she has spoken to him for he turns his head to the left a bit and quiets her by lifting his index to his lips. She can tell he is smiling, maybe even having a little laugh at her expense. He gives her hand a tight squeeze and continues.

He leads her into a smaller room, but it wasn't small by any means. He sits her down on a small stool, in front of a delicate fireplace. It was a bedroom. Dark oak wood furniture was strewn around. A beautiful canopied bed, the center of attention. She was so overwhelmed by the beauty of such a room that she had no idea he was trying to get her attention. He turns her head gently towards him, a smile playing across his face. He looks flustered, nervous maybe. He hasn't let go of her hands since they met.

She looks at him quizzically waiting for him to speak. Her hearing hasn't come back when he does start talking. She can make out some of his words by reading his lips.

"Long time... so happy... yet afraid she can't trust him..?"

She didn't quite understand what he had been waiting for or why he was so happy, yet she knew she couldn't trust him. At least not completely. He was dangerous, that she knew. Yet she didn't know why.

He averts her attention back to her with a small laugh and a shake of his head, his hair a mass of dark silk atop his head. He continued kneeling in front of her, which couldn't have been too comfortable for him, for it seemed like they'd been talking forever. Yet it probably didn't help that she kept getting distracted.

She began to concentrate on what he was saying.

"I ... love you Elena." he says, giving her hand another gentle caress. She felt so overwhelmed. She had no clue who this mystery man was, yet he knew her name.

The funny thing was, she felt like she had known him for forever. Like she was meant to be here.

"I love you, Ana. So much." he mouths again. She's filled with such joy, such happiness, as if she had been waiting to hear those words all her life.

He reaches behind him, digging something out of his back pocket. He held up a ring. A beautiful round, diamond in the middle, surrounded by 12 small blood red rubies. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

He took her hand, slipping the ring onto her finger. He let his lips slowly caress her finger, giving it a kiss or two. The ring was amazing, it fit like a glove, as if it were made for her. She stared at it as in glinted like wildfire in the dim light from the hearth. She became transfixed by it, as if it held some sort of mystical powers.

She looked at him, happiness flooding her face, making her cheeks flush with a rose tint. He got up and sat next to her on the furnished stool, entangling her with his strong arms. His skin was cool under his shirt, which she couldn't help but think was odd for it was at least 70 degrees in the room. She chalked it up to the winter weather.

They sat there for a while, enjoying each other's company. She is completely content at this moment. He begins to speak again. No matter how hard she tries she can't make out what his lips are saying. She finally gets a good look at his coal black eyes. They glint with lust, longing. He says something and looks at her, waiting for her to reply.

No matter how hard she thought, she could not understand what he had said for the life of her. But she knew it was a question. She did anything a doting girl would do. She giggled and smiled at him, as an acceptance to his question. Whatever it was.

She had a feeling she was about to find out.

He moves her long auburn hair away from her neck slowly, nose nuzzling her neck. His hot breath came on strong and sent shivers up her spine, greatly anticipating what was about to happen.

His breathing became more rampant, his grip on her stronger. In the pit of her stomach she knew something horribly wrong was going to happen, yet she wanted so much to find out what exactly that was.

He pulled away, facing her one last time. Long enough to see his long white canines, glistening in the firelight. Her eyes widened. She tried to get away, yet his hold on her was to strong.

Her hearing came back just in time to hear her piercing screams as her skin was ripped apart.

Elena woke up in a cold sweat, her heart beating hard enough to make her think it would jump out of her chest at any second. It was just a dream, she thought as she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She turns on her lamp that sits next to her bed, illuminating the room with a soft pink glow. She looks around the room, half expecting to see her dream captor, but she was alone.

Everything in the house was quiet. Almost too quiet for her liking. Still unable to shake his strange image from her mind, she rolls out of bed and heads toward the bathroom.

The full moon hung in the sky cast strange shadows through the hallway, lighting it in shades of grey. She stumbles into the bathroom, heading straight for the sink.

A few minutes were spent applying cool water onto her face, allowing herself to calm down a bit. She turns the faucet off with a grunt, for the coolness of the water reminded her of him. His pale, cool skin under his tight dark shirt.

She looks into the mirror, taking a look at herself. Her green eyes were puffy and cast large shadows to her skin underneath. It looked as if she had been through war. She felt quite the same. This was the fifth night this week that she's awoken with this dream. Each one a little different, but the outcome was always the same.

After patting her face dry with a used towel she throws it back on the floor from whence it came. She tiptoes back to her room, careful not to wake up anyone else in the house. She gets back into bed, determined to get a decent night's sleep. Covering herself in the heavy down blanket, she lays there for a bit just thinking about the strange man, and why he had visited in her dreams every night this week. Her eyes droop, heavy with sleep as she reaches to turn the lamp off.

The switch turns with ease. She lets her arm fall carelessly down, almost too tired to keep it up any longer. Her hand hits the maple table next to her hard. With the moaning due to her now throbbing hand she almost misses the sounds of metallic hitting the dark wood floors with a small "clink."

Her eyes shoot open at the sounds, determined to get a look at an imaginary stranger, which was silly for she couldn't see anything in the darkness. Unlike her mystery man who seemed to have no trouble with it at all. She shivers and turns on her light again.

Looking on the floor she sees nothing. Not a magazine, an article of clothing, nothing. She kept her room immaculate. I'm sure I heard something, she thinks as she continues her search. "Oh this is crazy!" she huffs. She shuffles back to her bed giving her room one more look, and rolls her eyes at how paranoid she is being.

"Ow!" she shrieks as she reaches the mattress. She stepped on something sharp, just on the outskirts of her bed. She lifts her foot up cautiously, knowing she hadn't seen anything there when she looked. The cause of the metallic clatter is in plain sight.

A ring.

She just stares at it, her heart beginning to beat sporadically. She could see the red stones glint in the lamplight.


	2. Chapter 2

**Knight of Darkness**

**Chapter Two**

After hours upon hours of staring at the ring she puts it down on her large bureau across the room. It seemed to stare at her; peer into her very soul.

She still cannot even begin to understand the events of the night, the extremely vivid dream, those intoxicating eyes, the ring. This couldn't be possible, right? You can't just bring items from the dream world into the real world, right? _Right._ She concludes, trying to convince herself that she wasn't going completely mad.

Elena slams the off button on her alarm clock as it begins its incessant chirping, telling her it was time to get up and start her day. It was Friday; what some students would call the best day of the week. But for Elena, it was just another day.

Due to her sheer lack of sleep during the night, she lazily slumps out of her queen sized bed, crying inside that she couldn't just forget last night and slip back under its cool, plush covers. She stumbles to the bathroom; her eyes still unwilling to open and greet the day.

She allows the hot water to cascade down her fragile frame as she stands in the shower. She's so tired she barely shampoos and conditions before shutting off the water and drying off.

"God Elena, you look awful..." Jenna says looking up from the morning paper, a coffee mug halfway to her lips. Elena throws a distraught glance in her direction and throws her body into one of the chairs at the kitchen counter.

"You don't even know the half of it." Elena sighs, allowing her head to rest in her hands. Jenna simply looks back down at the paper without another word; finding it much easier to ignore teenager's problems.

The school day seems to drag on endlessly. Elena's day is full of complicated algebra and reading from the night before that she had seriously neglected. She finds herself too preoccupied throughout the day to even think about paying attention to what the class was learning today.

All she could think of was him. Who was he? Why did he seem so familiar to her? What was his name? and most importantly, How did that ring find its way back from the castle?

The rest of the day, Elena sat like a zombie in class; mulling over how any of this could be true. By the time the end of school bell rings she is more than ready to get home and relax, and most importantly catch up on the sleep that she so desperately needs.

She makes her way down the cold sidewalks of Fell's Church, thankful for the frigid air, for it was giving her the extra boost she needed to get back home.

Jenna's car isn't in the drive when she gets home. Having the house to herself for a while makes her happy. No one will annoy her with questions about how her day was, or distract her from sleeping.

Throwing herself down in her soft bed, Elena sighs and breathes in the scent of fabric softener. She smiles a little to herself knowing that she's got all weekend to just relax. Her eyes gradually grow heavy with exhaustion; finally she gives in to the sandman.

_The familiar feeling of floating washes over her as bits and pieces of the room come into view. It's the room from last night – a vast expanse of dark wood and lavish draperies. The roaring fire in the corner sends the sweet smell of the outdoors to her nose. _

_She looks around the room once more, admiring the large vanity on the opposite side of the room. She walks over to it, the floorboards squeak a bit as she moves across them. It's then that it occurs to her that she has her hearing in this dream – unlike the last._

_It also occurs to her that she is completely aware that this is a dream. She knows her body is physically in Fells Church, all nice and comfy in her big bed – while her mind; her spirit is here, back in this castle._

_Elena lets her hand brush over the silver brushes and trinkets that litter the beautiful vanity. Her eyes rise, allowing her to get a good look at herself in this magnificent dream world._

_Her brown hair is curled slightly, brushed back away from her shoulders. Her face was wiped clean of any makeup, allowing her natural beauty to play across her olive features. She's wearing nothing but a long, lightweight white night gown that is rather beautiful for being so simple._

_Her eyes stare longingly into the mirror. She had never been so self-infatuated but right now, she couldn't help but admire how beautiful she looked._

_Her eyes stop at her neck. Two small puncture wounds stick out against her pale flesh. She stares at them more closely and recalls the night before in her dream; he had bitten her. _This must be later that night.._ Elena comments to herself before letting her chestnut hair fall over the wounds so she'd no longer have to stare at them. _

_Elena makes her way to the door; a large oak masterpiece in itself. It squeaks a little when she pushes it open. The corridors are lit with small torches lining the walls that gave everything an eerie glow. The walls are completely made of stone, keeping the home a bit on the cool side; a little too cold for Elena's liking._

_The long corridor soon opens up into the large living room from before. The large fire was still roaring in the fireplace, casting long shadows on the ornate rugs and plush sofas. The room was just as magnificent as she remembered. This time though, the heavy drapes had been opened to show the outside world. It was night time. All that can be seen is the starry night sky._

_Elena's eyes dart back to the fireplace where He is standing, one arm resting on the mantle, the other down to his side holding a glass of liquor. _

_All she can do is admire his strong silhouette against the orange flames. He was dressed in dark pants, accompanied by a black button up and suspenders. He looked like a sexy business mogul. _

_It was almost as if he could hear her thoughts, for he turns around; a crooked smile playing across his beautiful face. His blue eyes bore into hers as he turned around fully and took a few steps towards her. Elena's heart begins to beat more erratically._

"_How's my beautiful fiancé?" he says wrapping his arms around her. He was strong; she couldn't help but melt into his body. "That has such a nice ring to it." He adds, brushing her hair back over her shoulder and kissing her neck tenderly. She raises her left hand and gets a glimpse at the ring, that was now nestled perfectly on her slim ring finger._

_Shivers run wild down her spine as her knees grow weak. He must be able to sense what he is doing to her because he picks her up without a second thought and brings her back down the corridor from whence she came._

_He kicks open the door and roughly tosses Elena onto the large canopy bed. After softly closing the door he makes his way back over to the bed, and climbed on top of her. He simply stares at her for a few seconds, his dark hair falling into the pools of ocean framed by ridiculously sexy eyebrows._

Fuck I want you so bad. _Elena nearly screams in anticipation for what's to come next._

_Silence._

_The sexual tension quickly builds up to the point that neither one of them can contain themselves. Elena rips the suspenders off of the man's broad shoulders as he slipped her gown off of her slender frame._

_His lips crash down on hers, pinning her to the bed. A low groan slips through his lips as Elena runs her fingers through his thick hair._

_ Without any hesitation he plunges deep into her core, making her shriek in pure ecstasy. Her grip on him gets tighter as she digs her nails into his strong shoulders._

_ "I love you." Elena whispers into his ear as he thrusts into her again. _Elena! What are you saying? You don't love this man! You don't even know who he is!_ But she did; that was the scariest part. She felt like she had known this person her whole life. Alas, she would sooner or later wake up and be alone. He didn't really exist; this pure sex machine of a man. _

_ She looks into his crystalline eyes. Passion seeps through each fleck of ocean. "I love you too." He replies in breathy mumbles as his lips press tenderly back on hers. _

_ He quickly snaps his head away from her. His breathing has become grisly; feral. Elena is confused at first, but then realizes what has just happened._

_ "Do it." She breathes out. She wants to get closer; she wants to be closer to him. She takes his face into the palms of her hands. Looking back at her, she can truly see what he is._

_ Deep purple veins have erupted from underneath his eyes. The pools of blue are now dark and foreboding; hungry; needy._

_ "Are you sure?" he whispers. She can tell he's trying to restrain himself._

_Elena just nods to him. _

_ He kisses her softly all over her body, stopping at her neck. His tongue flicks at her prior wounds, licking away any extra traces of blood from before. Elena's dying for him to just sink his teeth into her already. She needs to be closer to him; to feel one with him._

_ He pauses briefly; catching his breath. It's hot on her neck. _Just do it already! _Elena screams in her mind before pressing his mouth to her neck. In an instant his sharp canines sink deep into her neck. She screams in pain that quickly turns to pleasure as he sucks harder on her tender flesh._

_They lay in each other's arms. Soft satin sheets of black cover their naked trembling bodies. They just listen to each other's staggered breaths. _

_Basking in their silence, Elena can't help but think about what He is. Should she be scared? Run away? Of course she should; and she knows that, yet she doesn't. Being with him feels so familiar; so right._

_That's when he turns over to look at Elena. He takes her face into his palms ever so gently and looks into her eyes. "I promise you, I will never; ever hurt you."_

Elena awakens to complete darkness. She rolls over and sees the green numbers of her alarm clock read 8:36. She lets out a small groan as she stretches and rubs the sleep from her eyes. _Man, I really must have been tired._ She says to herself before climbing out of bed and going into the bathroom.

She flips the light switch on and splashes her face with cool water. _What a dream._

After patting her face dry with a clean towel she throws it into the hamper and looks at herself in the mirror. She looks pretty good for just getting up. Her complexion is flawless. The only sign of recent sleep was her messy hair.

She runs a hand through her dark locks and freezes.

No.

No.

_No. How can this be?_

There on her ring finger sat the ornate beauty.

**YAY! Okay, so probably not the best chapter but ehh!**

**Please please please PLEASE leave some reviews! I promise it gets better!**

**Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

**Sam**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Elena runs back to her bed room. The ring is no longer on the dresser. _Maybe you were sleep walking and put it on._ She concludes to herself. She wasn't going crazy. This wasn't really happening. _That's it! This must be another dream! Okay Elena, go back to bed and you'll wake up for real this time._  
She makes her way back into her bed and crawls under the covers, being sure to bury her head under her blankets to finally put an end to this nightmare. But it doesn't stop. Elena simply lays there for 30 minutes trying to put rest a dream that was actually reality.

She furiously rips the sheets and blankets off of her and stomps downstairs.

_I'm spending the night at Ric's. Dinner is in the fridge, sleepy head._

_ Love, Jenna_

_At Bonnie's. Her parents aren't home. 'Nuff said._

_-Jer_

_ p.s. rip this up after you read it._

Great. Elena would be spending the rest of her Friday night at home. Alone. She takes the notes off the counter and throws them in the trash, feeling abandoned right when she needed a distraction.

Before going into the living room, Elena looks in the fridge. Jenna threw together a quick lasagna. Thinking it too much of a hassle to microwave the lasagna Elena settles for a carton of Ben & Jerry's and a spoon.

She flops down on the couch and wraps the multicolor afghan around her body and turns on the TV. As always, the only things on were reality TV shows which she hated with a burning passion.

The wind outside picks up, sending howls through the drafty windows. Elena pulls the blanket around her tighter. The pressure pressing on the windows from the outside makes the windows sound like they're about to burst open, letting the frigid wind blow into the house.

The lights dim and flicker as the wind picks up once more. _Of all nights, why did they pick tonight to abandon me?_ Elena whines as she sits further back in the couch.

Just then the wind howls again. The loudest it's ever been. The lights flicker on and off again, leaving Elena in momentary darkness. They come back on a second later. The wind has stopped. Everything is calm. Elena breathes a sigh of relief and loosens her grip on the remote control.

Elena lies back on the couch, puts her feet up and begins to relax. She flips through the channels once more, although nothing has changed since the past 20 minutes. Elena closes her eyes, enjoying the silence. The wind was no longer blowing. The only sound could be heard from the ticking of the clock on the wall opposite of her.

Flashes of His face pop up behind her eye lids. His smile sends shivers of pleasure down her spine. She almost feels as if he is there with her.

Her eyes snap open when she hears something upstairs. The wind has picked up again, back with a vengeance. The lights flicker off. This time they do not come back on.

_Oh my god oh my god oh my god._ Elena is terrified. She gets up and makes her way into the kitchen, rummaging around in the cabinets for some candles. She can't find any.

She hears the noise again upstairs. It sounds like someone is up there. _Maybe Jeremy came home early?_ Elena tries to tell herself; but she doesn't do a good job. She's still afraid.

Slowly making her way upstairs she listens for the sound again; but it doesn't come. She makes her way to her bedroom and grabs a few large vanilla scented candles off her desk.

Before descending the staircase she pauses, and looks into the dark shadows of the upstairs hallways. She listens. Nothing. _Maybe it was just my imagination; I have had a lot on my mind.. _she reasons before walking down the stairs.

Halfway down she hears it again. This time it comes from downstairs. In the kitchen.

She contemplates on whether or not to run upstairs lock her door and wait it out till morning. But she decides against it. _You can't be scared all of your life, Elena. Get a grip!_ She slowly walks down the dark hallways, unlit candles in hand and makes her way to the kitchen.

It was empty. No one was there. The bright moonlight slips through the windows and illuminates the kitchen enough for Elena to see that she was in fact alone.

She digs out a box of matches from one of the drawers and lights the candles; soon illuminating the room in a soft orange glow.

She stares at the flames; mesmerized. They remind her of the warm fire of her dreams; ablaze in the large fire place. She thinks of Him staring into those very flames; his stone hard body contrasting against the warm ambiance.

A sudden movement from behind makes her snap back to reality. She stands there frozen for a few minutes. Her breathing becomes rigid. _Is someone watching me?_ She asks herself. She closes her eyes tightly, hoping the eerie feeling would go away but it doesn't.

_Okay Elena, don't be afraid. Count to three and turn around._

_ One…_

Her breathing becomes even more staggered. Her heartbeat is in overdrive.

_ Two…_

Her knuckles turn white as she digs her nails into the marble countertop.

_Three!_

Elena takes one more deep breath before turning around slowly. Her eyes are still tightly shut. She doesn't know if she's ready to open them; to see what's been making the noises.

She opens her right eye first. It takes a few seconds for her to adjust to the darkness again. She doesn't see anything. She opens the other eye and scans the kitchen. Nothing. Everything was normal. There was no one there. She was alone.

The lights flash back on at that instant, giving Elena's heart another jolt of adrenaline. She laughs to herself at how completely idiotic she was being. She was alone. The doors were locked, all the windows were shut. She was safe, and alone.

Elena walks to the wall to turn off the light before heading back into the living room. She turns around one more time before plunging the kitchen back into darkness. She scans the room one more time. The cabinets were all closed and in order. The window was closed. The counter was…

_What is that?_

_ Omg what is _that?

Elena inches her way to the counter.

There, stands a lone glass.

A glass of liquor.

OH MY! What is up with Elena!

..is she going crazy?

Just gotta keep reading to see!

Follow and PLEASE review!

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Sam


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Elena swishes the contents in the glass and takes a sniff. _Yep, definitely liquor._ Elena looks around her once more. Whatever was there was gone now, and she was sure she was alone.

With a shaky hand she tosses the contents of the glass into the sink. She scrubs her hands in soapy warm water, self-consciously trying to rid herself of this nightmare. But someone had other plans for her.

She makes her way back into the living room, and re-wraps herself into the blanket and huddles on the plush fabric of the couch. Mindlessly staring at the television she blocks out the world.

Minutes turn to hours; hours to minutes. She just sits there. Numb. She's finally coming to terms with what is happening. She understands now that it isn't just going to disappear. Whatever was happening; whoever was doing this, wanted her to know who they were. They wanted to make their presence known.

* * *

Another thud from upstairs shakes Elena out of her own head. "Hello?" she calls out. She is no longer going to be afraid. "Is anyone there?" She adds, getting off of the couch and listening. There was no answer.  
Elena makes her way to the stairs and slowly walks up them. Everything is quiet. "Hello.." she croons, trying to make light of a possibly dark situation. Elena checks all the bedrooms upstairs and comes up with nothing.  
Elena gives up her search and sinks down into her bed, determined to get a few hours of sleep before the sun comes up. She allows the coolness of the blankets to envelop her. She takes a deep breath and allows her mind to drift off. She thinks of nothing.  
An hour after Elena finally dozes off, she awakens. The room is becoming lighter. But it's still too dark to see very much. The clock on her bedside table reads 5:18.

Elena quietly lays there, her blankets still tightly wrapped around her.

_What is that smell?_ She questions. The scent of cologne wafts toward her perfectly shaped nose and pleases her senses. _Jer must have come home._ She concludes still half asleep. It must have been pretty convincing because before she knew it she was drifting back off to sleep. That is, until she feels something. Movement.

Something was on the bed. Something was next to her. She distinctly could feel another presence just inches away. She froze. She couldn't make herself turn around to see who, or what it was. She is silent; listening.

A faint sound of breathing comes from behind her. There's a lump in her throat so big she thinks she may choke. _Elena, you keep telling yourself you aren't going to be afraid anymore. Take your advice and just see what it is!_ Her mind scolds her as she simply lays there; still petrified.

Whatever, or _whoever_ this thing or person is behind her, she is sure that it can hear her heartbeat. It's nearly jumping out of her chest; screaming in terror.

_Okay Elena. You can do this, be a man._ After a quick pep talk Elena starts to turn over. Her eyes are still closed tight. After flipping to her left side she lays there a minute. She can feel a soft breath on her face. She becomes even more afraid. The faint breathing smells faintly of alcohol and mint. The combination is intoxicating.

_Elena, all you have to do is open your eyes! Take a deep breath and do it!_

Elena slowly opens her eyes. Staring back at her is nothing but darkness. The presence on the other side of the bed is gone. There is no more breathing. No more feelings of being watched. Elena sits up baffled and turns on her bedside lamp. A soft pink glow illuminates the room.

She was right. There was nothing there.

Elena feels around on the bed. Nothing there. Chills run down her spine as she continues to poke and prod the mattress where she could have sworn someone else was residing. The sheets were warm.

Elena shrinks back to her side of the bed, heart still pounding. _What on earth is going on here? _

* * *

By the time morning comes, Elena is completely exhausted. Two nights with minimal sleep has left her feeling like a complete zombie. Around 7 AM she emerges from her cocoon of blankets and stumbles to the bathroom.

Looking in the mirror she can see that her incessant tossing and turning all night long has left her hair resembling a lion's mane, rather than her sleek locks. She runs a brush through it before hopping into the shower.

Elena turns the water to ice cold, finding that warm water would just make her want to sleep even more than she already did. The streams of water were so cold that they felt like shards of ice, biting into her skin. Yet she continued to stand there. Despite the pain, the coldness did wake her up quite a bit, which she was thankful for.

Elena soaps up; spending extra time shampooing and conditioning because she kind of skimped on it yesterday before school. The scent of coconut fills the shower, sending her to a tropical paradise.

She spends 30 minutes in the freezing water. She's completely chilled to the bone, but she feels quite awake. Elena turns off the water and rings out her hair. Pulling back the shower curtain, she steps out. She wraps herself in a plush towel and makes her way to the sink.

Wiping away the condensation on the mirror Elena takes a look at her reflection. That oh-so-familiar lump has lodged itself back into her throat. Someone was behind her.

"Hello, Elena."

* * *

**WOOOO! I was **_**dying**_** to get to this part! (:**

**Please tell me what you think! (:**

**xoxoxoxoxo**


	5. Chapter 5

**SO SORRY! It's been way too long since I've last posted. I've been really busy working; and I went to New York last weekend and didn't bring my laptop. But now that I have a few days off from work, I can crank out a new chappy (:**

**Here it is!**

**Chapter Five**

"Hello, Elena."

She completely stops breathing at the sound of his voice.

"Don't be afraid. No need for that." He soothes. He's slowly making his way towards her. She is still facing the bathroom mirror.

His chest is firmly on her back now.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Elena gets out in a wavering voice. Her hands still firmly gripping the porcelain sink.

"Oh come on, Elena. You know who I am. I'm the devilish stud of your dreams." He gets even closer to her. His perfect taught lips brush against her ear. "Or should I say _fantasies?_" His low sexy mumbles send waves of electricity down her spine.

This definitely wasn't the mysterious man from her dreams. Sure he looked just like him, but his demeanor was totally different. The man standing in back of her, breathing down her neck, was not welcoming nor was he kind. This man was dark; and dangerous. He was cynical, and quite full of himself.

"Why are you here? I don't know you." Elena chokes out again. She's staring at his cold blue eyes through the mirror. Passion and darkness swirl around in the cerulean pools.

"Elena, I'm hurt!" He gasps mockingly. He trails his hands down her bare arms. The only thing separating her from him was the towel she had meagerly thrown around her bare form after getting out of the shower. She pulls it tighter around her. His joking manner fades quickly and returns back to its previous darkness. "You'd be surprised by what you actually know." He whispers before backing off and walking out of the bathroom.

Elena stands there stunned for a few seconds. He was gone, for now at least. She takes a deep breath after realizing she'd been holding it in for all this time.

She releases her grip from the sink, leaving her hands stiff and sore. Slowly turning around she looks around the room. She really was alone now; but for how long?

Elena moves into the hallway. All is silent and He is nowhere to be found. She heads into her bedroom, which was also void of any mysterious men. She ruffles through her drawers and puts on some pajamas.

"You know, this Kristen Stewart is a total bitch. You should never cheat on a vampire. That can prove to be quite messy." His voice startles her and she whirls around. He's lying on her bed; magazine in hand.

"What are you doing?" She demands. She's surprised at how confident and in-charge she sounded.

"There's my little spit-fire." He says getting off the mattress and waltzing his way over to where she stood. His crooked smile made her knees go weak.

"I'm not anything to you. I don't know who you are." Elena says sternly, taking a few steps back.

He continues to get closer to her, his breath is warm and still holds a slight scent of liquor.

His chest is now pressed up against hers, his hands once again roaming around her frame. He subtly rubs his arousal into her, making her feel queasy. Was he some kind of pedophile or something? It was all too weird.

He gets even closer, if that was possible.

"Get away." Elena says, the same stern tone still there. He doesn't listen, and pushes forward.

Elena slaps him square in the jaw. It hardly shakes him.

"We're clearly getting nowhere with this. So why don't I just tell you who I am, seeing as you don't want to admit to yourself that you do in fact know who I am."

Elena is about to remind him that she really has no clue as to who he is, but he cuts her off before she can even open her mouth.

He sits down in the armchair on the other side of the room. Elena wearily sits down on the edge of her bed; as far away from him as she can get. She looks at him, waiting for him to start explaining himself, but he doesn't speak. He simply stares at her. Was that sadness in his eyes?

After a few moments of silence, he begins to speak in a low, gravelly voice.

* * *

"She was my best friend. When we met, you could just feel it, ya know? I knew she was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. And she wasn't afraid of me; of who I was; Who I _am._

She was dating my brother at the time; St. Stefan. God, I hated him for it.

When Stefan had to leave to handle some business, he told me to watch over her. We spent so much time together. I had never had so much fun in my life.

My brother was gone for a very long time. He never wrote; never let us know when he was coming back. So rather than sitting around waiting for him, She and I began to hang out more and more.

At first, she was never able to get my brother off her mind. She wanted to find him; make sure he was okay. But as time went on, Stefan's name disappeared from our conversations.

Her parents hated me, which made spending time with each other rather difficult. They saw me as Stefan's older, more dangerous brother. Maybe I was older, and more dangerous, but I would have never hurt her. I loved her.

Three months after Stefan left, he appeared again. I remember her taking Stefan outside so they could talk. Man could that girl talk. I'm not much of a talker. I'm more of a take-action kind of man myself. But she had a way of enrapturing people into her stories, even if it was just complete babbling.

Anyway, they were out talking for quite a while. I tried to listen, but she had taken him off the grounds of our house.

Stefan came back about 30 minutes later. He seemed pretty upset. I, trying to being the good, caring, brother asked him what was wrong. That's when he came after me, pinning me to the wall. He was angry, at me!

Turns out she had told St. Stefan that while he was away, she had grown quite fond of his big brother. Not to sound completely full of myself, but I mean, come on; who wouldn't want a piece of me?

The next morning I woke up; all of Stefan's things were gone, along with himself.

She was quite upset about it. She had never meant to hurt my brother.

Was I sad about it? Hell no. It's about time St. Stefan's brother got in on the action. I was so over him getting all the girls.

Now that her parents knew that Stefan was no longer in the picture, they banned her from seeing me. Before, they tolerated her coming to my house, because she was going to see Stefan, but now that she was coming to see me it was a whole different story.

She began sneaking out every night. Our days together began to blur together. She stopped going back to her house. I remember her telling me that if her parents didn't accept our friendship, then she'd just get out of their lives forever. I was glad. But I could tell she wasn't entirely happy with her decision.

I guess you could say we were dating then. We kissed and all, but it never went any further than that. Sure I was_ dying_ to go further, but I didn't want to force myself upon her.

She had been living with me just shy of a year.

I had been meaning to make her my wife for months. I had been searching for that one woman that made me feel like her for over 100 years. Oh come on, don't look at me like that, you know what I am, you shouldn't look so surprised.

Where was I? Oh yeah. One night I just couldn't wait any longer. I had spent all evening preparing her room. I had gone out and picked dozens of roses from the garden, and made a roaring fire in the fireplace.

She had gone out for a walk among the grounds, giving me just enough time to do so.

I walk back into the living room to find her sitting down on one of the sofas. She looked beautiful. Her long hair fell perfectly around her face. I remember she was wearing a white nightgown; which made me laugh because it was winter. She always said she liked the cold winter air; it made her feel alive.

I sneak up behind her and lead her to the bedroom. Now don't get the wrong Idea about me, Elena. I wasn't trying to screw her. I just wanted to make what I was about to say perfect.

That night I asked her to marry me.

When she said yes, I felt like the happiest man alive.. or dead.

That was the first time we made love.

We never set a date for the wedding. We were just taking things one day at a time. Seeing her wearing that engagement ring made me happy enough at that moment. You know the ring. Round diamond so clear you can see your reflection; Delicately framed by rubies.

Everything at that moment was perfect. She had gone home that day. For the first time in months. She was going to tell her family about our engagement and thought it best if I stay home.

Her parents had told her that although they weren't all too thrilled with the news, they would support her, because they wanted her to be happy. They made it a point to remind her that they still hated me.

I could tell she was homesick. She had been ever since she had begun to stay with me. But since she had gone to see them, the homesickness had escalated. She began to mope around the house, and was very distant for a while.

One morning at breakfast she had brought up the idea of maybe moving closer to her family. I did not think it best. Sure, I wanted her to be happy, but living near her parents, who _despised_ me; remind you, did not seem like the best thing to do.

So I was selfish, and told her no, just to make myself happy, even if it meant she wasn't.

We began to fight. She yelled at me, while I simply sat there and held my ground.

That's when she storms out of the room.

It was a cold, drizzly day. The sky was overcast with dark clouds. It was bound to rain sooner or later.

Minutes passed; then hours. She hadn't come back.

I was getting worried. It was still raining. I grab my coat and head outside. First I check the grounds around the house but she wasn't there. She wasn't in the courtyard, nor the garden or the field just off to the left.

I walk down the road, keeping my eyes open for her; but she never shows. I try calling her name but it doesn't help.

In the distance I can see the wooden bridge over the river. As I get closer I can see that the bridge had deteriorated quite a bit. In fact, the whole right railing had been broken off, most likely to the high river from all the rain we had been getting lately.

I walk onto the bridge. It's still pretty sturdy. I walk along the wooden boards. Back and forth. Trying to figure out where she had gone. Maybe she had gone to her parent's house?

That's when I feel something under my shoe. Thinking it was a rock I look down right before I'm about to kick it into the river. But I stop. It's the ring.

I remember it felt as if my heart had broken right there.

I can hear shouting just down the river. I can see people running down to the bank of the river just a few yards to my right. I walk down slowly to see what all the commotion is. Everyone is crowded around the riverbank, some screaming, some crying.

I push my way through the crowd to find an EMT trying to breathe life into a limp body.

The man leaning over the figure presses on the chest trying to remove some of the water from it's soaked lungs but nothing happens.

I see the man shake his head in despair as he mumbles something along the lines of 'It's too late.' Before he grabs is medical bag and gets up.

That's when I get a look at the corpse.

It was her. The love of my life. Her skin was pale, and no longer held on to its olive pigment.

I drop down next to her and start yelling out. The crowd begins to diminish.

I throw myself on top of her, praying that she'd just wake up, and put her arms around me but she didn't.

I pulled myself together long enough to tell the paramedics who she was, and where they could get ahold of her parents.

When her parents arrive they begin to cry. I'd imagine that seeing their little girl lying lifeless on the muddy ground tore their hearts completely apart. Just like it had done to mine.

I stand up, trying to find words to offer to her parents. But they don't come. I know they never liked me. At all. But at that moment, her mother embraced me in the tightest embrace in the world and we both cried. Whatever I had done in the past to make them dislike me so much had been forgiven, for we had both lost the most important thing in our lives.

The coroner told us that by the looks of the river's bridge, she had leaned over a bit too far and the railing just gave way underneath her. The depth of the water, and the bite the winter gave to it, offered her no chance of survival.

For days I stayed locked in my house. I wasn't able to get out of my bed. My whole body hurt. Her death had drained me of any life I had. I had considered ending my life.

One day though, I was fed up with being sad. I decided to do something about her death.

I had to bring her back.

There was a woman that lived a few miles down the road from me. She was a witch. Yes, Elena; a witch.

I had to find a way to bring her back. I assumed the witch would know something.

Sure enough she did. But she told me that she didn't know if it would work. I told her I was willing to try anything.

The spell she cast was supposed to bring her back to me, but it never specified when that would be. It could be months, years, decades even.

The spell would allow her spirit to reincarnate itself one day.

As the years went on however, I began to lose hope. She wasn't coming back.

But I wouldn't give up.

I had all the time in the world."

* * *

Elena stares at him. She feels sorry for him. Sadness seeps through his eyes, forming tears along his dark lashes.

"Who are you, and why are you telling me this?" She demands, losing all remorse for this stranger

"My name is Damon Salvatore." He says in a monotonous tone, his eyes returning to their normal, brooding state.

"And why are you telling me this?" she says more forcefully.

"Because, Elena –" He begins, getting up from the armchair and walking towards her. Elena gets up from the bed and backs up against the wall.

"Damon, why did you tell me all of that?" Elena chokes out again.

He is inches away from her now.

"Because, sweet Elena; that girl that I met 145 years ago; that girl who stole my heart; that girl who drowned in the river, that girl whom I had brought back to life…" He trails off.

Elena knew what he was about to say. She wouldn't allow herself to believe it. She couldn't.

"Elena, you're _her_."HhHH


End file.
